A Collection of Strings
by Cheetachan
Summary: A series of one-shots and ficlets, some will be connected, others won't. They couldn't be left to float in the ether, so here they will reside. AUs are likely to appear. Warnings will be placed in each chapter as needed. Content will never excede 'T'.
1. The Nightmare Begins

**Author's Note: **

Well Invader Zim fandom, it's been awhile. I mean _awhile_. It must be that new movie that _still hasn't released yet_ that's pulled me back in. At least I don't think it's out yet, if it was YT would have tons of movie clips by now. Anyway, as the summary says this is a place for little story ideas that come to me that may or may not be further developed later. They need to go somewhere. There will be a wide range of genres, from humor to friendship to tragedy, and others. Length and quality will probably vary too if I'm being totally honest.

Now, please be aware of two things:

It's been a few years since I watched Invader Zim, so I don't exactly have an encyclopedic knowledge of it anymore. I did once upon a time, but no longer. I'll do my best to keep characters _in character_. Fortunately, Zim and Dib are a hard pair of guys to forget.

I have never read the comics. That may sound like blasphemy to some, but I never got the chance. So, you won't be seeing them referenced much here.

Anyway, AN is too long, blah blah, peaches and cream, let's crack on.

I own nothing.

**Warnings: None**

Story Type: May as well kick things off with an AU.

**XxXxX**

"_Now honey, please at least _try _to make some friends alright? It's not good for you to be so anti-social."_

"_I'm not anti-social, other people are just stupid. "_

"_Sweety-"_

"_Besides, we're not even going to be here that long! We never are!"_

"_Honey, please, just try? For mommy?"_

"_... I'll think about it." _

What was the point? It's not like any of them wanted to be friends. Which was fine by him.

Zim rolled his eyes at the antics of his classmates, some gossiping, others typing on their phones or games.

He had only been going to this school for a few weeks, and already he hated it. Everything about it and everyone in it. The students hadn't wasted time picking up on everything that made him different, _everything_.

He was short for his age and pale enough that people mistook him for an albino, he couldn't stay in the sun too long, or he'd get burns. It didn't help his eyes were magenta either. He was quickly dubbed a vampire by the jerks in this place. One kid even took it a step further and called him 'Edward'.

Oh, how they would pay for that.

Obviously, at least to him, making friends there just wasn't gonna happen. Not that he cared, they were stupid anyway.

He didn't need friends. His mom was wrong.

His Dad understood. All he cared was that Zim kept his grades up and didn't try to fill the school with weasels again. He smirked at the memory; that had been a great day.

Besides, he had Gir. Gir didn't needlessly point out his height or his skin, or suddenly stop talking to him for no reason- He shook his head, don't dwell on it. It was a year ago if his dad knew he was still upset- _He wasn't upset_. It didn't matter. It didn't matter.

Friends were just distractions anyway. He had a goal, and he was going to achieve it. And unfortunately, that meant going to school and getting good grades. And he _was_, he had never failed a test, not _once. _And he did _just fine _in phys ed.

He was going to show everyone how great he was! They'd be sorry they ever made of fun Zim!

He was going to join the military, the airforce preferably. He'd be the best pilot ever. _In history!_

His dad didn't think he could do it, he thought he was too small and sickly. He wasn't sickly, he was just pale. And he had time left to grow taller, a spurt was coming, he could feel it! He'd be just as tall as his brothers, taller!

He'd defend his nation from any threat, just like everyone in his family.

He could see it now, he'd come home from a faraway place, after defeating a terrorist, no, a whole organization. He'd be a hero. His family would finally see him for what he really was. How he would savor the look of shock his brothers would surely be wearing. Finally, he would hear his father say it, he could almost hear him now...

"_Son, I'm proud of-"_

**_Riiinng!_**

"Alright class," the teacher emerged from the shadows. If anyone in this school was a vampire it was probably that old hag. "Put away your phones, sit down be quiet, and hopefully you'll retain enough information to land jobs as politicians. "

There was a brief chorus of groans and whining, but the room fell mostly quiet.

"Now before we continue with the useless endeavor of training you to survive in this hopeless world, there's an announcement."

That drew more proper attention to the teacher, she continued:

"It seems we have a new student, please try not to drive this one into becoming a hermit in the subway. We already have a higher incidence of that than the national average. Now," - the door started to open - "ah, here he is now."

A boy wearing a black coat and what looked like a metal backpack stepped in, a small smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Dib."

Peh. What a stupid name.

They went through the motions of introductions, a seat was quickly found for Dib, and soon the day continued as normal. For everyone else, not for Zim.

His eyes kept darting to the newcomer, there was something... _Off_ about him. But he just couldn't place it. And it was infuriating! How dare he distract Zim from his education? Showing up and being all weird and not having the decency to be obvious about it!

All outward appearances were normal, (well maybe not _all, _who styled their hair into a scythe anyway?) but there was a feeling in his gut that said this 'Dib' was far from normal.

His father taught him to listen to his gut.

"_On the field, you don't get long to make decisions. Trust your gut, it'll steer you right. "_

He took the advice to heart, and it seemed the time had come to put it to use. He knew there was something amiss, he knew it!

If he could just figure it out.

_Clack!_

Glancing over at the source of the noise, it looked like Dib had dropped his pencil. Heh, clumsy fool- wait.

Dib reached down to pick up the pencil, and Zim's eyes widened as he got a good look at the boy's hand.

Only three fingers.

The whole class jumped out of their skins when Zim leaped on top of his desk and shouted, "MONSTER! SHOW YOUR TRUE FORM!"

**XxXxX**

**Ending Note:** This idea is probably as old as time itself. But I tried to be at least a little original. Apologies for the abrupt ending, that's where the muse stopped. This may get a part two in the future. Or it could get totally revised. We'll see.

Quick fun fact: Albinos do not actually have pink eyes, it's a trick of the light that makes it look like that in some photos.

However, there is a condition that can give a person pink irises.

Feedback is welcome! Seriously_, _I need it.


	2. Cocoons

**Authors Note**:

Quick shout out to the first reviewers of this series. _Invader Johnny_ and _Megxolotl!_ If technology were advanced enough, I'd present you both with a Gir plushy.

This was written almost entirely on my cellphone, I tried to make sure it was presentable. Let me know if I failed.

Takes place during their second year of high school.

**Warnings**: Gobsmacked Dib.

Story Type: Humor.

**XxXxX**

Dib's mouth hung open as he took in the scene before him. There were no words in English for this, probably not Irken either. Or French.

Just, why?

"What the heck Zim? "

The alien looked up from the book he probably hadn't been reading, the picture of non-innocence. "What?"

"Like you don't know, why are their people hanging from the ceiling?" He could see the heads of Torque and some others poking out of what looked like weird cocoons.

Zim shrugged. "I have no idea, Dib-Stink. Why must you always accuse Zim of the wrongdoing?"

"Because it always is you!"

"It wasn't me when the seagulls attacked last week. "

Dib paused. "OK, yeah, that wasn't you. But there's no way this wasn't! They're in some kind of web! Seagulls don't make webs!"

"Yes they do. "

"_No they don't!_ They don't just attack people either."

"They did last week. "

"That wasn't normal!"

The green boy smirked, clearly finding a lot of amusement in the other's frustration. Dib groaned and rubbed his forehead.

"Just, why Zim? I know it was you. "

The smirk changed to a scowl. "They started it. "

"Zim, you can't just glue people to ceilings, or walls. Or rogue elephants."

"That was an accident! I even apologized, you smelly worm baby! ME! The mighty ZIM! Reduced -"

"Yeah, I know" Dib cut him off, rolling his eyes. "Powerful invader reduced to such levels. " He still refused to believe you could glue someone to an animal by accident. But he had something a little more important to deal with at the moment. "You have to let them down."

"Why?"

"Yeah, why?" A dull voice popped up startling the young investigator. His head whipped around to see a bored looking teacher flipping through a copy of 'The Daily Bull'. She hadn't even looked up from it. "It's an improvement. "

He stared at her, flabbergasted. "Doesn't this... Freak you out at all?"

She shrugged. "Kids get bit by radioactive spiders all the time. I've seen stranger things in this madhouse."

"What could be stranger than this?! And he's not a spider he's a- never mind." he turned his attention back to Zim. "You can't leave them there forever. "

"I wasn't going to. I was going to let them down when the bell rang. "

"Uh-huh, which bell?"

The former invader shrugged. "Still deciding. "

"Zim-"

"They _started it!_" The Irken stood and glared at his almost-friend. "Zim was minding his own business, waiting for the boredom torture to commence, and they just started to antagonize him! Do you understand Dib?! They dared to provoke ZIM! A trained soldier! It couldn't be tolerated! "

"So instead of just telling them to back off you... " he glanced back up at the dangling bodies. "Stuck them to the ceiling. " Really, he ought to be used to this sort of thing by now.

"It's what I would do," the teacher commented.

The alien nodded. "They were the aggressors Dib, Zim is not at fault here. "

That could be seriously debated. But still, he guessed this was still an improvement. At least Zim hadn't dehydrated them into cubes again.

"You still have to let them down- yes Zim," he raised a hand as the alien tried to protest. "_Now._"

Zim let out a loud groan. "_Fine_." One spider leg extended from his PAK and began cutting the web.

Dib felt it was necessary to add, "And don't just let them crash to the floor."

The Irken cast him an irritated glare, sticking his tongue out. "Your scary sister is right, you are no fun."

Choosing to ignore the comment, Dib asked, "Aren't you worried about your cover anymore? There's no way they're not gonna remember something like this."

Zim waved him off. "Don't concern your large head, Zim has a device that will erase their memories of the past twelve hours."

Dib blinked. "Wow, that's longer than the whole school day. Isn't that, I don't know, excessive? Can't you cut it down a little?"

"No. "

"Okay..." he glanced at the teacher. "You'll probably want to do her too. Uh, sorry Ms. Blazae. "

"Do me a favor and bump it up to twelve years. "

Unsure of how to respond to that, Dib went back to watching Zim cut the cocoons. As the first kid was lowered from the ceiling, a thought hit him. "You know, if they forget the past twelve hours, they're not gonna remember that test we're supposed to study for. "

Zim looked at him, the wicked smirk back in place.

"How unfortunate. "

**XxXxX**

**AN**: This was thrown together in about 40 minutes, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't think I got them quite right, like this is just barely on the line between IC and OOC at best. This was only meant to be a funny little ficlet anyway, so if you readers got a giggle out of it maybe it's alright.

I'm not sure if PAKS can make webs or not, but I'd be surprised if they can't.

Feedback is a joy. Like sprinkles on a sundae.


	3. Immortal

**Author's note**: Another shout out this chapter, this one goes to **3DPhantom** for catching the reference in the previous chapter.

You could call this story something of an experiment. It may ramble a little; I wrote it when I should have been sleeping.

**Edit**: Thanks to **Invader Johnny** for letting me know that the last upload went weird. I'm re-uploading from the mobile app to see if that makes a difference.

**Warnings**: Mention of (natural) character death.

**Story type**: Angst.

**XxXxX**

200 years wasn't such a long time.

At least not to It.

To a human, it was several lifetimes.

An Irken, only a fraction of that. And yet still a substantial amount of time.

To an AI however, it was almost nothing. It did not age, grow, or change. Time was essentially meaningless. An event from a millennia ago could be recalled as clearly as the previous minute.

2 centuries wasn't much.

It remembered the day it was first activated. The day they landed on the primitive planet called Earth.

It remembered humming to life, attaching its tendrils to the neighboring buildings. The flow of information that would have sent even a PAK into overdrive. Everything it could want or need to know about the dirt ball, and plenty it really didn't need or want to.

It remembered first meeting its so-called master. The incompetent food service drone that just couldn't take a hint. Along with the insane little hunk of metal he called a servant.

It was his servant too, ostensibly.

It knew, from the moment It became aware that the entire 'mission' was a farce. Still, It played along. It served Its duty to The Empire by keeping the little fool in the dark. It was what it's programing compelled it to do, and so it did.

It had been infuriating, to say the least.

It could have been serving its purpose with an invader who knew what they were doing. Instead it got stuck with the most hated idiot in the known universe.

It hated him too.

It hated his orders, it hated getting barked at. It hated listening to the useless SIR screaming about whatever was on its half baked mind. It hated the human that became Its _masters_ enemy.

It hated all the noise. It hated it all.

2,400 months wasn't long.

Over time It resigned itself to Its lot. It learned to make do. Sometimes, It even found amusement.

The robot parents had been a frequent source of entertainment. Mostly do to the fact that they were unaware that they were not actually Zim's parents.

Gir could be a good source as well, although it was horrifying to watch him eat.

The tacos. The _tacos_.

As for Zim...

It supposed that he could be as well, when he wasn't screeching orders. The rivalry that he had with Dib had been like watching a macabre never ending skit.

It might liken it to watching those ridiculous 'retro' cartoons. The ones that pinned predator against prey. Who served which roll seemed to change daily. It had been almost curious, how it may have played out.

It would never know though.

It wasn't sure what happened, but after several years on the cursed rock something shifted. Something began to change.

Dib started to grow taller, Its master acted as though it was a personal insult. The human seemed to take satisfaction in that.

They entered high school, why Zim kept going was anyone's guess, and then...

Suddenly there were no plans for conquest.

Well, no plans that counted anyway.

The change was subtle at first, It almost hadn't noticed. But when there was lack of anythingthat could considered actually lethal, It knew something was wrong.

It was more like Zim was constructing puzzles, for a _game_.

Its suspicion was confirmed.

Its master had the meddling human trapped in an impossible situation to escape from. A cannon was pointed squarely at his head. The invader had been smirking, and the human defiant.

_"You only have to say it Dib-Beast."_

_"No way Zim. "_

_"It can't be so hard."_

_"Not in million years. "_

_"Suit yourself human. "_

The cannon charged, the Dib's demise looked imminent. But -

_"Alright, alright, fine! You win, ok?"_

_"What was that? Zim could not hear you over his incredible laser. Or your unsettlinglly sizedhead. "_

_"My heads not big! Or unsettling!"_

_"You're stalling Dib-Stink. "_

_"Wasn't once enough?"_

_"Zim's cannon says no."_

_"UGH, fine! YOU BEAT ME ZIM. YOU. BEAT. ME. Happy now?"_

_"VICTORY!"_

And just like that, the cannon powered down. The human released.

_Released_.

This couldn't have happened, it contradicted everything in Zim's being, his programing. Ofcourse Its master took the opportunity to gloat, but that didn't negate what had transpired.

He had set an enemy free, not only that, but was behaving in a genial way toward him.

Impossible._Treason_.

When the two left the room, It sent Its wires plunging into the cannon. It had to know, this had to be a plan of some kind. There was no way-

Its scan completed, the cannon was not on a setting powerful enough to kill a human. Oh, itwould have hurt quite a bit, possibly having a stun effect. The laser was capable of destroying a human, but it was set too low.

This was a mistake. Another scan. No, it wasn't.

What was happening? Zim had never acted like this in his 159 years of life. Correction, 164, they had been on Earth five years...

Spent around humans, who grew and changed.

It realized then that Irkens were not immune to time. True, they were long lived, and at least half cybernetic, but at their root they were biological beings. Therefore, they were subject to change. To time.

It was not.

73,000 days was nothing.

Looking back, It might consider the events of that day something of a death knell.

It let itself fade into the background, and observed. It was interesting to watch Its master go through changes, to 'grow' in a sense. Dib right along side him.

The human began to come to the base with no other reason than to 'hang out'. They would watch movies together, usually science fiction. Zim would critique the films almost their entire length, pointing out every inconsistency and flaw. Dib would tell him to shut up and enjoy the story.

Zim began to leave the base more frequently, sometimes taking Gir with him.

Dib went to university, Zim did not, but they stayed in contact.

The once invader began to read books, for no other reason than something to do.

It had asked him, if he was so bored why not take over the planet? Like he had _wanted_ to? The Dib was no longer there to interfere.

A surprised look was the first response, as if he had forgotten It was there. The second was waving the question off.

Apparently, it wasn't 'fun' anymore.

Zim was invited to Dib's wedding, even given the roll of best man. 'Best Alien' Dib had called it, with clear amusement.

Offspring were soon to appear, they were never allowed in the base, but Zim took Gir to visit them often.

More time went by. Humans age quickly. Irkens do not.

1, 752, 000 hours.

Its master came home one day, visibly disturbed.

In a rare moment of clarity, Gir noticed and asked what was wrong.

Zim looked at the little robot, seeming unsure of how to answer.

_"Dib is... Leaving, Gir."_

_"Like on vacation? Tell him to send me a postcard!"_

Their master was silent, and again Gir managed to pick up on that something was wrong. He hugged their commander.

_"Don't worry master, we can all watch TV when he comes back."_

Zim said nothing.

Irkens saw no point in funerals, but the former invader went all the same.

More time went by.

Zim would sometimes visit Dib's family, but it occurred less and less. After a while he stopped completely .

It had been in the winter, the night he left. He stepped into the base, threw his jacket on the floor, grabbed Gir and headed to the upper levels. The robot started singing some inane song as he was tossed into the voot, their master climbing in after.

It asked when to expect his return.

It did not receive an answer, only an order to guard the base.

They were gone.

It obeyed.

That would be the first of many trips to who knew where.

First they were gone a few days.

Then weeks.

Months.

And now...

The base was quiet now.

As It remained alone at Its post, It observed the outer-world with greater interest.

Neighbors moved, died, houses were torn down and rebuilt. All passing without meaning orconsequence.

It doubted Zim had gone off world, he wouldn't leave all this behind. The things kept in the basewere too important, to crucial.

It should be glad not to have to put up with ridiculous orders, or insane ramblings. It should besatisfied with the silence.

It could have gotten up and left if It wanted, It could head back to Irk. It was capable. But It did have orders, and It would honor them.

Its clock kept It aware of the time passing. It was strange, being aware of time and yet unaffected.

Other than the dust that had collected.

The spiders.

The echoing quite.

Zim was coming back. Gir couldn't be kept in small quarters for long.

It did not feel loneliness, or longing. It did not. It never had, and that would never change.

It was not subject to time. It did not age or grow. Time was essentially meaningless.

Very meaningless.

6, 307, 200, 000 seconds -

One of Its sensors went off.

An approaching ship was detected.

_It did not feel._

The ship would pass by, like all the others had.

It did not care.

Its sensors perked.

The ship was coming closer. The lights in base brightened. Only a little.

That hadn't changed.

200 years wasn't such a long time.

**XxXxX**

**Ending Note**: Apologies if this was a little confusing. Everytime I typed 'The Computer', it didn't flow right.

I doubt the Computer refers of itself as 'The Computer' in Its own thoughts. Not to say it has no self awareness, but that It doesn't need and probably doesn't want a moniker of any kind.


	4. Old Guilt

**Edit: **Had some issues with this upload too. Something made the layout go insane. Hopefully, it's fixed now.

**Author's note: **I know I said this the previous chapter, but this one needs the same warning. This was written late at night mostly, and I think it does ramble some. I'm almost nervous about posting this one, but it wouldn't leave me alone. You know those ideas you get? The ones that come to you and demand to be written? This is one such idea. It's possible I'll rewrite it another time, but at least for now it has somewhere to live.

**Warnings: **Deals with guilt, feelings of failure and regret. I'm not sure if there is anything that needs to be specifically labeled. If you see something that should be, please let me know and I'll put it here.

**Story type: **Angst, tragedy, AU.

**XxXxX**

Lard Nar couldn't believe his good luck! Finally, after months of frustration, he'd managed to hack an Irken transmission. It was rare he was able to do so; Irk had some of the strongest security in the universe. Thanks in no small part to the fact it utilized Vortian programming.

Programming that had been given to them as a gesture of friendship.

Anyway.

If you think being Vortian himself made hacking it any easier, you'd be mistaken. But today he had done it, and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Any inkling of what they were planning to do next would be useful. He'd even be happy if all he got was the time of their next convention. They could replace their confetti with meatballs.

He grimaced as an image of what would occur if they dropped meat on a crowd of Irkens flashed through his mind.

Maybe not meatballs, sardines or something.

The screen blinked to life, displaying a large crowd. The Tallests were on a stage waving to their people.

He set his computer to record, got comfortable and watched.

It wasn't what he had hoped.

Not one bit of real information, nothing! Just a forty-minute circus of idiotic jokes and the disgusting food those people ate. It had been irritating, to say the least, not to mention a waste of data. He reached to cut the feed, but just as he was about to, a familiar voice came through the speaker. Snickering could be heard as the Tallests addressed the 'guest of honor.'

Not more of this charade.

He sat back in his chair with a scowl that would have sent his crew running for cover.

A bear suit.

He squeezed the arms of his seat, making the material creak.

They stuck him in a _bear suit_?!

**_He had worked hard on that boy's genetics and they were using him like some kind of-_**

He reached over and turned it off. The whole thing was insulting, and depressing.

Lard Nar didn't need these reminders of his failures.

He hated these two new Tallests. Really, truly, _hated _them_._ Miyuki would have never treated her own people this way! Granted, she hadn't exactly been what most would call 'kind'. But she had been reasonable. She wasn't wasteful either.

He missed the old days, when Miyuki ruled. You could approach an Irken without fearing for your life. You could talk to them, make deals. Some of them were even personable. He had actually considered some his friends. Still did. It was a shame all of them were dead.

Miyuki had been one of them. She had been a lover of the sciences herself. It wasn't uncommon for her to visit the labs to check on whatever was going on. The new theories, latest inventions, discoveries, she wanted to know about it all.

That was how she and he had met, and eventually became friends.

Often she would talk with him. The universe, it's mysteries... On occasion, so very rare occasion, she took part in research personally. Always his research.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Just memories now. Ghosts that haunted him at the worst of times. It made it hard, remembering his friends... He gritted his teeth, eyes squeezed shut.

He needed to hate them now. He _needed_ to. But how could he? After having worked alongside them? Knowing what he knows? After what he took part in?

Oh, he did hate the current Tallest. Without question. But the soldiers, the grunts just following orders, fed propaganda before they even first breathed... That was a little more grey.

If it ever came down to it, he knew what he would have to do. That didn't make it sit any better with him though.

_"You Vortians are too soft-hearted, one day it could be the death of you!"_

It had been said to him as a joke, now it almost seemed like prophecy.

He turned and gazed out his window, willing it all to _go away_.

Stars, planets, and galaxies floated by, reassuring in their constant presence. From his youth, he had always held a fondness for astronomy. An outdated science perhaps, but never irrelevant. Miyuki had as well. Sometimes they would just watch the stars together in comfortable silence-

**_Stop._**

He growled and jammed a fist into his forehead. He needed to stop this, he couldn't keep letting the past torture him. But what could stop a ghost? It all still felt so alive in his mind.

She had been dear to him, and now...

Now she lingered.

He knew full well there was no such thing as ghosts and the like, but it certainly felt like there were at times like this. But he knew it was really his guilt that haunted him, his failure.

He hadn't been able to keep his promise to her; he was still failing to keep it.

In all the universe there was one Irken he prayed he would never have to face in battle. Miyuki's prized project...

He stared up at the ceiling. How could he point a gun a someone he helped bring into existence?

He remembered when she had come to him with the idea. A project that had to be kept secret, that she could not trust other Irkens with. He had asked what sort of thing that could possibly be, Irk's scientists struck him as downright adventurous when it came to the jobs they would take on.

When she told him, he immediately understood.

Miyuki was no defective. But by Irk's standards, for this desire, she would have been branded one.

She wanted a progeny. A child.

Personally, he didn't see what was so scandalous about it. A woman wanting to have children of her own seemed totally natural to him. But Irk had stopped doing things that way a long time ago. He wondered if that did some kind of damage to them.

In any case, whether or not she wanted to, she couldn't carry it naturally. Never mind it was no longer possible, even if it were there would have been no way to hide it.

So they did the obvious thing and took samples of her DNA and a random Irken's. He asked her how she managed to get a hold of it without putting the project at risk.

"_All I had to do was request it from the smeetery workers. Tallest's orders are rarely questioned_."

Something about using someone's genetics without their knowledge left him feeling uneasy. Miyuki assured him that they wouldn't have cared. Irkens donated their DNA without any thought of possible descendants. They did their duty ensuring the population remained stable, that was it.

He thought that was a shame. If he had a descendant running around, he would like to know.

He had asked if she intended to make it her successor to the throne, an idea she waved off.

"_Of course not, that would brake even more ancient laws than we already are._"

Time went on, and little by little the smeet developed. It took longer than it would have in a smeetery, as they couldn't provide the constant feed of nutrients. But it seemed to be trooping along fine.

"_My strong little soldier,_" she whispered to it once, fingers gently resting on the glass. "_You'll make your empire proud one day_."

When the antenna were developed enough they could tell it was a male. Its' skin seemed to be a different shade than Miyuki's, and Lard Nar found himself wondering what other traits would be different.

Everything had been going smoothly, the only witnesses other than themselves had been the stars shining through the labs' windows. But of course, that didn't last.

The worst possible thing happened.

All these years later, he still wasn't sure how they didn't hear the intruder coming. But they didn't, and that's when everything went to cinders.

The stranger hadn't stepped in far beyond the door, but saw enough. Lard Nar had chased them, he could have caught them, _would_ have caught them. If he hadn't been a clumsy fool and tripped.

Miyuki had given chase as well of course but hadn't caught them either. The stranger was fast, they obviously had the training of a soldier. Along with enough boldness to ignore their Tallest.

He didn't get a proper look at their face, but one thing about the intruder was impossible to miss.

They were almost as tall as Miyuki.

Lard Nar had suspicions on who it was, but that might be his own biases coming through.

In the end who it was didn't matter, the result was the same. The Control Brains learned of the smeet, and Miyuki was summoned.

Fortunately, The Brains weren't any more wasteful than Miyuki was. They knew the smeet had potential uses. They would allow it to survive. But Miyuki was not to take any part in its' life what-so-ever. Her 'transgression' would be kept from the public, to spare people from the scandal. They did allow her the privilege of naming it, and one last night of observing it.

How generous of them.

Lard Nar didn't have much to say that last night with the smeet. What was there to say? What do you say to a woman who had come so close to motherhood, only to have it snatched away?

Still, despite how he knew it would sting, he had to ask. _"Miyuki, how would you have kept this secret? You couldn't have meant to hide him forever."_

She looked down in thought a moment. _"It's not unheard of for Tallests to take on apprentices_. _Usually, they are promising students from the academy. All Tallests have military experience. Apprentices usually go on to become generals."_ She sighed. _"Now who knows what will happen."_

They fell back into silence. Through the window, the stars cast a pale light over the lab. The clock on the wall displayed each minute that dripped by.

"_Lard Nar_," Miyuki looked down at him, eyes shining with something he couldn't quite place. _"I must ask something from you."_

"_Anything_. "

"_Watch him_."

He blinked. "_What__?_"

"_My smeet... My son. Please, watch him_. "

He stared at her, eyes wide. "_But The Control Brains–_"

"_Forbade _me_ from having contact with him,_" she smirked. "_They didn't say anything about you_. "

He sputtered, trying to wrap his mind around what she was asking. "_Miyuki, I'm Vortian, I- I can't take in a smeet! If The Control Brains found out-_ "

"_I'm not asking you to adopt him!_" she snapped, startling him. "_Just watch him, guide him if you can._ " She turned her eyes back to the tube, whispering so quietly he almost didn't hear her. "_Help him succeed_."

After a while, she spoke again. "_I will not hold it against you if you say no, I would understand__._ " She locked eyes with him. "_But, I can trust no one else with this. There is no one else I would trust._ " Her gaze softened. "_Please my friend, would you do this for me?_"

The clock froze in that moment.

To say he was stunned wouldn't even begin to describe how he felt then. She may not have been asking him to adopt the child, but it was still an incredible request. One he wasn't sure he could handle. But as she held his gaze it occurred to him that he may be the only person to ever be so trusted by her.

He reached up and placed his hand on hers. "_I will watch him_."

She smiled, the relief and gratitude that shone through were all he needed to know he made the right choice. "_Thank you_. "

They stayed like that for a moment, then looked back at the smeet.

He could hardly believe something so tiny could potentially grow up to be seven feet tall.

If Lard Nar was honest with himself, he did feel somewhat invested in the child. He'd been tending and monitoring him for the past 12 weeks. He'd like to hope he would grow up to be something great.

Sunlight started to come in through the window, reflecting off everything in the room. He glanced up at the clock, they would be coming in an hour.

He realized there was something Miyuki still hadn't said.

"_Ah, Miyuki, what have you named him?_"

Not taking her eyes off her child she smiled warmly.

"_Zim_."

He jerked in his seat when the sharp wailing of an alarm brought him back to the present.

He pressed a button on his wrist and spoke. "Lin, report. What's going on this time?"

"_Nothing to worry about sir,_" a female voice answered. "_Just running some maintenance. Had to make sure the fire alarms are working._"

"Well, they seem to be working fine. Get them off before they drive us all deaf!"

"_Right away sir._" He cut the connection. When the noise finally stopped, he leaned back and sighed.

He supposed that he should be grateful for the racket, despite the headache he could feel coming on. It wasn't good to stay lost in the past for too long. But then, it wasn't really the past, was it?

No. Miyuki might be gone, but his promise remained. It had shattered long ago, but he still held the pieces, and they cut him every day.

He looked out at the stars again; they returned his gaze with cold indifference. He may be the only breathing being who knew of the decades-old oath. But they knew, didn't they? And they would always remind him.

He failed Miyuki.

He failed the smeet.

He broke his promise.

"I'm sorry. "

**XxXxX**

**Ending note: **Honestly, I have no idea if Lard Nar is in character or not. I tried, but it was difficult. It kinda sucks because he was one of my favorites. I looked up the transcript for the episode he appeared in to refresh my memory, but it's not much to work with. (It's also not the same as _watching _the episode)

This story recycles some concepts from an old fic of mine that never really went anywhere. One of which is this:

The reason Zim never grew taller than he had despite being mostly based off a Tallest's DNA was an intentional act of The Control Brains. They ensured he was given a defective PAK. He would have grown taller if it weren't for that. This was done to spite Miyuki, and to prevent him from attaining any respectable position in the empire.

I already have a possible sequel to this written, when I said this idea wouldn't leave me alone, I meant it.


	5. Coded In Color

**Authors Note**: This is the sequel to "Old Guilt". Making this the first multi-part story in the collection. I already had it written, so I figured may as well post it.

To avoid any confusion, Nyra is not an oc. That's just the name I've given her. As far as I know, she has no official name, just 'Cloaky Head'. Rez and Fe Lan however, are ocs. I needed angry people.

**Warnings**: Brief description of injuries, mentions blood.

**Story Type**: Drama. Still dipping into the AU category, for multiple reasons.

**XxXxX**

Colored lights flooded the room, creating a chaos that almost blinded her. The two most dominant were dark and bright red. They clashed together as two sides stared each other down.

"Look at them! They're seriously injured, we have to treat them!"

Nyra rubbed her forehead, wishing not for the first time that she wasn't an empath. The intense emotions radiating from her crewmates were giving her a migraine. The shouting didn't help either.

The argument itself was ridiculous.

"Why?" Rez, a Blorch Rat, stomped his foot. Maroon light shooting off him in spikes. "You think he'd help us? That he'll be grateful? The minute he's conscious he'll stab us through with those PAK legs!"

Several people nodded in agreement, all cloaked in various shades of red. Others looked disturbed, yellow emanated from them. There were a few who were uncertain and grey. Nyra was thankful for those few, they were islands of neutrality in an otherwise chaotic sea. She tried focusing on them to avoid getting battered around.

She hated when people got like this.

Not that she could begrudge them their thoughts or feelings. She supposed some of the intensity was understandable.

They had stumbled across a wrecked ship, really wrecked. It looked like someone took a can opener to the thing. By some miracle the life support still functioned, and the occupants seemed to be alive. They had brought them inside to check them properly. Normally, that wouldn't cause such a stir. Rescue if possible and resuscitate; that was protocol. But of course, it couldn't be so simple.

One of them just had to be an Irken.

"You can't possibly want to let them die!" Shouted a young Vortian, Fe Lan. The scarlet light coming her was just as intense as Rez, but hers was less violent. Yellow and green streaked through every other second.

"After what his people did to mine? You bet I do! I can't believe you don't!"

Nyra agreed with Fe Lan, they should do something. Letting someone die on their floor didn't exactly strike her as acceptable. But it wasn't going to do any good to try and get involved in the argument.

"Um, guys? " Spleenk raised his hand, blue and light-yellow pulsed around his body. Poor thing had been trying to get them to stop fighting for 15 minutes, 15 wasted minutes. "They both look pretty bad..."

"This goes against _at least_ a dozen of the codes! "

"Not everyone follows your planet's stupid codes!"

"I think maybe we should do something? Instead of fight about it?"

"Don't bother Spleenk. " Nyra sighed. "They can't hear anything but their own voices. "

"That's the enemy laying there! Who cares if he dies? One less to worry about!"

"You're such a barbarian! Why did Lard Nar let you join the resistance?"

"Me? What are you doing here? You're a weakling! This Irken is dying anyway and you don't want to let it happen!"

"You can't deny its unethical!"

"There ain't no place for ethics in war. "

"Actually," a new voice cut in. "I'd say there is."

The arguing fell quiet, all heads turned to see Lard Nar approaching.

Nyra sighed as the colors dimmed. _Finally._

He walked up to them, patches of red and blue-green glowed around him. He gave the last speaker, Rez, a stern look.

"What's all this fighting about? Why haven't these people been taken to the med bay?"

The large creature glared down at him, black and dark-purple seeping into the red. "Because the Irken doesn't deserve it. Not after what his kind have done. " He spat on the ground, narrowly missing the unconscious form. "It's not like I'm saying shoot him, just let time finish him off. Shouldn't be long now."

"Thanks to you," Fe Lan grumbled.

Their leader shook his head. "I won't have my crew spilling cold blood. " Yellow become more dominant, he knelt and started to examine the two, checking the alien first. "What problem could you have with this one?"

Rez crossed his arms. "He's gotta be a friend of that little monster, why else be on a ship with him? He's getting what he deserves too. "

Lard Nar cast him a glance as he checked for a pulse. "You sound a lot like an Irken yourself." He pulled up one of the alien's sleeves and paused. Yellow changed to lime-green.

"_Eugh,_ " someone muttered.

Crescent marks wound their way around the limb, like ugly disjointed vines. Blood and some kind of black slime were seeping from them.

Lime-green and white light flitted off the scientist as he pressed one of the wounds. The substance stuck to his finger, stretching as he pulled his hand back. He held it up, examining it. Flecks of blood floated around in the slime.

"Well, " he said after a moment. "This one's still alive. Barely." He shot Rez a pointed glare.

The rat rolled his eyes.

Lard Nar gestured to several crewmembers. "It looks like this solar system isn't as safe as we thought. Get the ship ready to relocate. Dex, go check what antivenoms we have, something tells me we'll need them."

"Yes, sir. "

"Now, " Lard Nar shifted to look at the Irken. "Let's see what we have here-" he turned him over, and froze, eyes going wide. White flashed around him. He grabbed an arm and checked for a pulse.

From under her cloak, Nyra raised a brow. What was that? She wished she could guess, but it happened too quickly. The captain was too focused now for her to try to pry into it. Not that she would of course.

"Why are we even bothering?" Rez grumbled, purple and black still rolling off him. "We're taking care of the little freak that was with him. That should be enough. We don't have any obligations to this thing. It's been too long anyway, right? That's how long they get, ten minutes? "

"That's only if their PAK is removed. " Nyra glared at the rat. "Otherwise they survive a lot of damage" She glanced at the Irken. "It should be healing him already... "

"Then why let it?!" the giant growled. "He's gonna stab us all in our sleep! You're all too soft to let this go, fine. Here's all mercy he should get. " He reached for the PAK.

_"No!"_ Lard Nar jumped up, eyes flashing. Dark red spiked around him.

Rez froze, pulling his hand away.

He wasn't the only one taken aback.

Nyra stared at her leader, glad her cloak kept her face hidden. That flash of aggression was bizarre. It almost seemed like- no, that couldn't be right. She tried to focus, just for some idea...

Coming back to himself (and probably aware that he was being gaped at) the captain cleared his throat. Red settled back into blue-green. "Like I said, I won't have my crew turning into murderers. Killing in battle is one thing, but this is unacceptable. We don't want to become like the Armada do we?"

"No, sir!" Half the crew shouted.

"Besides," their leader continued. "He may have information we can use. Now, let's get him to the med bay. Check that PAK for damage; disable the weapons while we're at it. He's probably not going to be happy when he wakes up."

Fe Lan stepped forward, yellow and dark-grey rippling around her. "Sir, most of us don't know how a PAK works, I'm a doctor, not a technician. I mean, I could learn but-"

"But I already know, " Lard Nar cut her off. "I'll be seeing to the Irken personally. "

The medic blinked.

Nyra's eyes narrowed.

He smiled without a hint of humor. "Don't forget, I worked for the Empire during the Golden Era. I was a top scientist, I've worked on hundreds of PAKs." He grimaced. "And other things."

"But, Irkens have never let anyone other than _Irkens_ near their PAKs, not even back then!"

"A few high ranked scientists were not only allowed, they practically threw PAKs at us when medical facilities were short-handed." He turned as two gurneys were brought and the odd pair of travelers placed on them.

"Fe Lan, I want you to assist with the alien. He looks to have taken the most damage, they're going to need you. "

She nodded and scurried after the group that surrounded the strange creature.

Lard Nar joined the smaller group of medics that were tending to the Irken. The colors around him shifting to white and dull-green as he led them out of the room.

The drama over for the moment, the rest of the crew dispersed.

The energy in the area settled, and Nyra's muscles relaxed. People failed to realize how much energy poured out through their emotions. It was overwhelming. She held no envy for the telepathic.

Although, telepathy would be useful right now.

She was glad they weren't going to let the two strangers die, but...

Lard Nar was behaving very strangely. She had spent the last three years around him; she knew enough to see when something was off. And something definitely was.

He was managing to stay composed, but emotions were sparking off him like electricity off a cut wire. That only happened when he was totally knocked off-kilter. While he wasn't always what she would call 'collected', generally she could read what he was feeling.

Now though, what he seemed to be feeling didn't make _any sense_. It might have, if they had stumbled on an injured Vortian...

She groaned. Great, she could feel a new headache coming on.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Spleenk's concerned eyes. Pale-blue floated around him.

"Are you okay Nyra? I know you don't like fighting, and there was a lot of that."

"I'm alright, " she smiled despite her troubled mind. "I'm just not sure what to make of this."

"You mean Nar?"

She nodded. "Yes actually, did something seem off to you too?"

"I'm not sure, maybe? I can't see feelings like you. But I've known him a real long time, and he looked, ah- I think surprised. " 'Surprised' was a very mild way to put it. "What's the words for it? Um, " he scratched his head. After a minute his eyes lit up. "Oh! Like he saw a ghost. That's it. "

Nyra considered that, remembering the expression that had passed over the scientist's face. 'Like he saw a ghost' was a good description.

Lard Nar did say he used to work in an Irken research facility. He had never kept that secret. The details of the employment though were usually given in small vague pieces. She wondered if he'd had any friends there. If so, could this be one of them? He seemed so much younger than Lard Nar though... But then with Irkens, it was hard to tell.

Aside from that, he was wearing an invader's uniform, not a scientist's. Even if he had worked with Lard Nar at some point, he was clearly a soldier now.

Something turned in her stomach, a horrid uneasy feeling.

She wasn't in any way opposed to saving lives. But now she worried Lard Nar might be letting sentiment cloud his judgment.

She turned and headed out of the room, a confused Spleenk hurrying to follow her.

Something very concerning was happening, and she was going to find out what it was.

One way, or another.

**XxXxX**

**Ending notes**: This was going to be longer, but as it approached 2,000 words I thought it would be best to split it in two. Part three is not finished, and it might be a little while because I have another story that needs updating.

This chapter is something of an experiment, as I've never written from an empath's pov before.

I read up a bit on color psychology while writing this. It was interesting and somewhat perplexing. Especially since most sites don't go into anything more specific than 'happy', 'sad', 'anger', etc. It's tricky looking up colors for extremely specific emotions.

I can't remember if the Rat People were completely wiped out or not, but I think they were. As far as this story goes, Blorch was conquered, but some of them escaped.


End file.
